The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-16
CUTTING A WATERMELON.
Tventy-six New York Pickaninnics
Made Happy.
From the New Fors; EueainG Sun.

From the Nee Yor5; EucaiaS SIN.
A reporter stopped at q fruit stand at the
corner of Houston and Thompson streets
this morning. The stand was laden with
luscious wedges of watermelon, out of which
peeped partially encystod black seeds
resembling pieces of jet in q bed OF coral.
How muchl" said the reporter.
Zone centa," replied the Italian proprie
tor with an anticipatory grin.
The reporter had taken one melting
mouthful when he saw standing close by q
very small relic of ''those agonizing, cruel
slavery days She wore but single gar
ment. Her chin had dropped and a water
melon longing was in her eyes.
would you like to have piece of water
melon!n said the reporter
The duSky maiden put her thumb in her
mouth and twisted baShfully around on one
foot. Then she replied:
Il haint got no penny"
The largest, juiciest, mellowesG piece of
fruit on the stand was handed to her. She
grabbed it as a hawk grabs a chicken and
whisked out of sight around the corner. A
minute later she reappeared with three other
equally dusky maidens, who looked sheepiSh
and hungry. The Italians stock was
depleted to the extent of three more pieces,
and the little Africans ran into the door of
a big tenement Like magic from the win
dows of the tenement woolly heads were
thrust out.
"Wba' is he?n came from a pair of thick
lips in hoarse, constrained whisper.
Oar he is behind de lam pos Dat ar
little Teller. Don't ye see him, wild de big
mouf! Now he's bitin' de watermilion.
Oh you fool nigga, you can't see nuffen'"
There was a Scamper of hurrying feet and
black expectant faces peered around the
corner and from behind telegraph poles. A
NJ WI iler
copper-colored little scamp mustered up
enough courage to say:
Mister, will We buy mc piece, too2"
The scribe contracted with the dealer for
whole melon, and had it cut up into thirty
pieces Then he sent out scouts to gather in
all the children of Ham that could be found.
A grinning ravenouS horde of tWenty-SiX
they proved to be. They were ranged
around the stand in circle, and at a given
signal they began to eat. The Italian be-
came alarmed for the whole neighborhood
was drawing near. just as the little dar-
keys began to get near the rind the repor-
ter stole away, but not SO quickly but that
he heard the Italian say:
'Now nigga-a, go home. Had watermel-
on. Shoo!"
The black battalion scattered like chaff
before the east wind.
Probabably in no locality in this city is
there as much watermelon retailed as in
Mulberry street The reporter counted
twenty eight places within three blocks of
The Bowery this morning where watermelon
| could be bought for 1c. a slice. The larger
| dealers had push carts upon which two or
three melons were cut up awaiting custom
ers, while the smaller dealers sat behind ia
bles close to the curb. Each one of these re-
| tailers sat behind tables close to the club.
Each one of these retailers used a piece of
| broom handle upon which were tackled
rushes to keep away the flies, which insects
| buzzed around in swarr1s. A brisk business
| was going ON at each of these stands. Big,
| murderous- looking knives were used to cut
up the fruit. The pavement was covered
| with melon rinds and the air was heavy
with the odor of stale vegetables and fruit.
| Babies in arms were chewing watermelon,
| and little sons of Italy were fishing seeds
| from the cutters.
At the corner of Bayard and Mott streets
a venerable, crippled Irishman has stand.
He said there was no money in a water
melon cut up into 1-cent pieces, because the
fruit was liable to fall to pieces if little too
ripe when cut so thin. An ordinary melon
| could be cut into from thirty five to forty
| pieces of the 1-cent size. He bought his
melons by the hundred. The price of the
| melons was S1S per hundred on the dock
but it cost him an dollar for delivery. If
the fruit was all good and business was
| brisk, he could make decent living, but
the competition of the ''dagos" had injured
his trade materially of late years. There
was a time when he had stand on the OPP
| posite side of the street; even then he had to
pay SIS month rent for his stand that
| there was money in the watermelon bust
ness, but not now, he said, as he shook his
head sadly Beside the outlook was poor
Peaches had been injured by the excessive
rains ard altogether he didn't know
what a poor man was going to do in this
country if 9Th Europeans an tn Eytalians
was goin' t be brought over here by TIL
shiploadn